Building single skin brick shed off retaining wall?

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Afternoon folks,

I was contemplating parting with good money for a timber shed in order to store tools and such.

The previous home owner had lovingly dug out of the garden land the space for a 6ft by 4ft shed to perfectly fit but never got around to putting a shed in it.

My question is (as I have quite a few spare old bricks from a chimney dismantling), could I build up off this retaining wall high enough for a shed without fear of all collapse?

The wall itself appears in good order and nice and straight.

The question I don't have the answer to at the moment is around foundation depth (if any) and I'm aware that if building from scratch it would be a given to have this put in put I am literally talking a single skin brick wall off this retainer, with an apex roof (board and felt).. thoughts?...

IMG_20180801_165411.jpg
 
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I suspect you'd be fine even if what we can see is the foundations (you're below frost depth, if you're on clay then happy days). For your peace of mind, get a spade and dig a test pit next to the blocks and see how far down they go & whether there's a strip under them.
 
I suspect you'd be fine even if what we can see is the foundations (you're below frost depth, if you're on clay then happy days). For your peace of mind, get a spade and dig a test pit next to the blocks and see how far down they go & whether there's a strip under them.

Thank you! I'll give it a test dig over the next few days and provide an update.
 
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Run the spade against the blocks into the ground to start with- that'll tell you a lot (if the spade goes under the blocks then what you see is what you've got). If that is the case then you can either just get on with putting your walls on top (which will probably be fine) or undermine each wall in turn and put 100mm deep x 300mm wide concrete under them, which will absolutely no doubt about it be fine. Or lift the blocks, chuck a 100mm raft of concrete in the hole then build on that- again guaranteed absolutely fine
 
Had
Run the spade against the blocks into the ground to start with- that'll tell you a lot (if the spade goes under the blocks then what you see is what you've got). If that is the case then you can either just get on with putting your walls on top (which will probably be fine) or undermine each wall in turn and put 100mm deep x 300mm wide concrete under them, which will absolutely no doubt about it be fine. Or lift the blocks, chuck a 100mm raft of concrete in the hole then build on that- again guaranteed absolutely fine

Had time to look at this yesterday. Looks like there is a foundation that the blocks are sitting on that seem to sit about 150mm inside the brickline so should be a solid enough base to go off for a single head height shed...

Now to find me a bricky
 
Perfect. That size you cld diy easy enough- yes it'll take you lots longer to get a less neat job but it'll keep you out of mischief.
Worth finding one of the online materials calculators to check how many bricks you need- you'll be surprised.
 
Perfect. That size you cld diy easy enough- yes it'll take you lots longer to get a less neat job but it'll keep you out of mischief.
Worth finding one of the online materials calculators to check how many bricks you need- you'll be surprised.

This is very true. I think I have about 150 bricks from a removed chimney and I will repurpose the bricks from this previous garden building..

IMG_20180809_191245.jpg
 
Hard to tell from that pic whether that wall is built with cement mortar (rather than lime) - if cement then be prepared for some pain hacking the old mortar off.
Just checked here https://www.imperialhandmadebricks.co.uk/brick-calculator/ , if you are using old imperial bricks to build a 6' x 4' shed to 2.2 metres average height you'll need about 650 bricks (785 without a door :) ). 54 imperial 68mm bricks per square metre, if you've got modern bricks it goes up to 60/sq m. And your bijou 6' (2m) x 4' (1.3m) x 2.2m average height comes to 14.5 sq m (call it 12 to allow for the door).
 
Hard to tell from that pic whether that wall is built with cement mortar (rather than lime) - if cement then be prepared for some pain hacking the old mortar off.
Just checked here https://www.imperialhandmadebricks.co.uk/brick-calculator/ , if you are using old imperial bricks to build a 6' x 4' shed to 2.2 metres average height you'll need about 650 bricks (785 without a door :) ). 54 imperial 68mm bricks per square metre, if you've got modern bricks it goes up to 60/sq m. And your bijou 6' (2m) x 4' (1.3m) x 2.2m average height comes to 14.5 sq m (call it 12 to allow for the door).

Thanks for the calculations buddy! I did have it as less that than as I took off the 2ft that already exists in the concrete block as would sit the facing bricks on top of these blocks so 2ft is already convered. You really can see why people just buy wooden sheds can't you, ha!
 
Ah, yes that'll make a difference- still more bricks than you'd think, surprised me rebuilding an old wall when I went through neck end of 2000 bricks for not a massive structure. Loads easier getting gauge & square on nice modern machine made bricks than on Victorian handmades (but I far prefer the look of the old solids & they do cut much better for odd shapes where the bond has gone wrong) :)
 
Ah, yes that'll make a difference- still more bricks than you'd think, surprised me rebuilding an old wall when I went through neck end of 2000 bricks for not a massive structure. Loads easier getting gauge & square on nice modern machine made bricks than on Victorian handmades (but I far prefer the look of the old solids & they do cut much better for odd shapes where the bond has gone wrong) :)

Ok so decided on block in the end. Will copy the flat roof design and render from our neighbouring extension to tie it all in.

Concrete base and some tanking on at least the lower retaining section and shouldn't be too bad in the end.

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